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AF Squadron Leader David Arthurton has made history as the first and only foreign exchange pilot to fly the B-2 bomber. He joined the 13th Bomb Squadron at Whiteman AFB, Mo., in September 2005 and currently has deployed with the unit to Andersen AFB, Guam. The former Tornado pilot says, “There’s nothing quite like [the B-2]. He thinks it’s “relatively easy to fly but difficult to employ,” and “you can’t throw it around the sky like the Tornado.” Arthurton joins another RAF pilot in a singular feat, Flight Lt. Dan Robinson has completed F-22 Raptor flight training.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.